06-03-2019, 01:51 PM
[#0000FF]They definitely get longer...and heavier. Here is a picture of a 29 pounder from 2007. And I have had reliable reports of others of similar size since. But the guys who catch them usually do not advertise it.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]In years past I caught several around 20# and one that went 24# and 37 inches. But in the last 15 years my biggest was about 34".
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[#0000FF]The Loys (carp seiners) claim they catch and release many big cats...some well over 20#...every year. But those bigguns live and feed differently than the smaller members of the family. And there are not very many of them in a big lake. You have to be lucky to be fishing in an area they might be hanging out. And you have to present the right bait, the right way at the right time.
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[#0000FF]Those big cats also require heavy tackle, good gear and the knowledge of how to battle and land big fish. Since most Utah Lake anglers fish with tackle that is just not adequate for big cats it is no wonder that so few of them are ever brought in. And even guys who use heavy line often lose big fish to poor or nicked line, bad knots, wimpy hooks, improperly set drags, etc. This forum is full of reports about guys breaking off even medium sized kitties on heavy gear. Fish don't break lines...fishermen do. Almost every cat 10# or larger that I have landed over the past few years has had one or more broken lines coming out of their mouths. Usually wimpy line but sometimes not.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]In years past I caught several around 20# and one that went 24# and 37 inches. But in the last 15 years my biggest was about 34".
[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF]The Loys (carp seiners) claim they catch and release many big cats...some well over 20#...every year. But those bigguns live and feed differently than the smaller members of the family. And there are not very many of them in a big lake. You have to be lucky to be fishing in an area they might be hanging out. And you have to present the right bait, the right way at the right time.
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[#0000FF]Those big cats also require heavy tackle, good gear and the knowledge of how to battle and land big fish. Since most Utah Lake anglers fish with tackle that is just not adequate for big cats it is no wonder that so few of them are ever brought in. And even guys who use heavy line often lose big fish to poor or nicked line, bad knots, wimpy hooks, improperly set drags, etc. This forum is full of reports about guys breaking off even medium sized kitties on heavy gear. Fish don't break lines...fishermen do. Almost every cat 10# or larger that I have landed over the past few years has had one or more broken lines coming out of their mouths. Usually wimpy line but sometimes not.[/#0000FF]
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